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WEDNESDAY EDITION: Looks like another great day for yard work
here, get outside away from your damn radios and enjoy it. Remember
ham radio is just a hobby...did you hear that Friendly Bunch? It is
not normal to squat on a frequency (3919) seven days a week from
6-11pm!!!!!! You guys need a 12 step program to get away from cult
leader Bobby #1. So let's get started: Step 1: We
admitted we were powerless over our 3919 Friendly Bunch addiction -
that our lives had become unmanageable.
This is the most important step. We have to realize that it is not
normal to sit in front of a HF transceiver seven days a week for 4-5
hours a night. It is not normal for an entire group of grown men to
think they must check in every night or they will miss something.
Nothing is ever discussed, you can't miss anything. It is the net
about NOTHING.....consistently. It is not normal nor necessary to ID
with your coveted FB assigned number every ten minutes FCC REGS SAY
THAT UNLESS YOU HAVE TALKED IN THE PREVIOUS TEN MINUTES YOU DO
NOT HAVE TO ID. IT IS MINDLESS FOR 20 + GUYS TO ID EVERY TEN
MINUTES...IT IS JUST A WASTE OF TIME AND THE MAIN REASON YOU ALL
SOUND LIKE BOBBY'S MINIONS. I received an email from a member who
posed the question to a FCC employee who confirmed the ID is in
excess and not necessary.....I wish someone could video you for
an hour and play it back so you could see how ridicules you all
sound...Bobby has you all brainwashed, walk away from the light and
get your life back. It is not normal to use a wireless headset so
you can go to the bathroom and kitchen and not miss an ID session.
It is not normal to go to bed with a Friendly Bunch T-Shirt and hat
on. It is not normal to stay on frequency during thunder and
lightning storms and approaching tornadoes because you are afraid
you are going to miss something. It is not normal to say
roger...roger....roger at the end of every exchange. It is not
normal to have a Canadian Sharman priest say a blessing for the
Friendly Bunch each evening. It is not normal to have three SDR
radios going on your computer while on frequency to triangulate
jammers.....If the most important thing in you life is
checking in to the Friendly Bunch every single night, YOU MIGHT NEED
A 12 STEP PROGRAM ASAP!
I am going to approach the ARRL and see if they can form an
Intervention Group to help these addicted hams and get them into a
12 step rehab program and become normal functioning members of
society again. Step 2 tomorrow
Educator, Author, Contester Fred Cady, KE7X, SK
Fred Cady, KE7X, of Bozeman, Montana, died on May 16. An ARRL
Life Member, he turned 77 earlier this month. Cady was a
professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering at
Montana State University. He coauthored The Successful Ham
Radio Operator’s Handbook with Vic DiCiccio, VE3YT. Cady
also wrote several manuals on how to use Elecraft equipment.
Licensed in 1959, Cady earned a PhD in electrical engineering
from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, and was a
senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE). He taught for more than 40 years and published
five textbooks on microcomputers.
An avid CW contester, Cady was a member of the world
record-holding Team Vertical contest group.
“Fred was my very dear friend and an important mentor for
me,” DiCiccio said. “Working with him to write The Successful
Ham book was a joy. He helped so many people as a
professor, author of his books, and in his role as a volunteer
fireman, fire chief, and deputy chief. He will be deeply
missed.”
Ham Fest friendships, traditions continue
The Fairborn Daily Herald reports that for many amateur radio
operators, Hamvention is a reunion
It’s where friends meet up for a weekend, or hams run into
familiar faces that they see just once a year.
Chuck Hill and Rick Snead are continuing that tradition this
year, making the Greene County Fairgrounds their reunion site.
The two Hamvention attendees — plus two more in their group —
talk to each other on their radios at night from their homes in
North Carolina.
“It’s just for fun,” Hill, who has attended Hamvention for the
last 24 years, said. “You come back up here every year and a lot
of the people you see you’ve seen at other ham events in other
states. And you see people that you haven’t seen in a year but
you know because you met them here.”
Snead and Hill both got early starts in radios.
Hill, who’s been licensed for 45 years, said he started out with
a Citizens Band (CB) radio. Snead said he also used a CB radio
when he was 10 or 12, then became a licensed amateur radio
operator when he was 15.
Read the full story at
https://www.fairborndailyherald
.com/news/35207/ham-fest-friendships-traditions-continue
How to Make a Contact or Not
I frequently hear guys on FM Simplex come on the air and give
their call sign once and say 'CQ'. Like "KB0GEV CQ" ... Now was that
KE0, KB0, or KD0 ... GEV, GBZ ?; B, C, D, E, G, P, T, V and Z sound
very much alike when there is unfamiliarity or old ears listening.
You have to make noise on a unpopulated radio frequency
especially if you have a new call that know one knows. There is no
radio dispatcher monitoring your frequency 24/7.
You can't just give your call once and expect to have anyone
answer you.
If you are on a repeater a single call like that might be all you
need to make a contact.
If you want to be ignored just say, "KB0GEV testing."
146.52 Simplex, as an example, isn't monitored by a police radio
dispatcher. It may be just be one of several scanned frequencies
that some one might hear in the back ground of their "Noise of
Life."
Guys who might respond to you have to get over to where their
radio is located or popular pull out their Handi Talkie, and listen
for you. If you never make a second call they won't know who or what
it was.
If no one knows your call sign (like if you are travelling
through town in your car), you have to repeat your call several
times and then use phonetics, (Kilo Bravo Zero Golf Echo Victor
Mobile in Texas City). Then say "Listening on 52", so the scanning
guys will know where to respond to you. Then tell them what you are
doing and what you need; a radio check, directions, traffic reports
or just a QSO/Contact/ SOTA, etc...
I hear this on HF SSB also, If you don't know the local operating
protocol, Listen and see what other guys are doing. Get to know your
microphone and how far away it should be from your mouth and how to
talk across it without blasting it. Breath and wind noises will
block your voice.
Happy Contacts
Paul W0RW
TUESDAY EDITION: Beautiful day, windows open, birds chirping, and
about 70 at 7am. Good day to mow the estate and do a little weed
whacking to annoy the neighbors. A walk over to beach to tan up this
old white body should fill the rest of the day out....
Photos from the 2019 Hamvention
Once again this year we took well over 300 photos of both the
inside exhibitors and the flea market areas of the 2019
Hamvention held at the Greene County Fairgrounds in
Xenia, Ohio.
The weather was almost perfect for the entire three day event
and it seemed attendance was strong.
If you missed attending Hamvention this year, perhaps you'll
enjoy a virtual tour in our photo collections!
Click here to view our photos of the Hamvention Flea Market:
https://swling.com/blog/2019/05/2019-hamvention-photos-friday-flea-market/
Click here to view photos of the Hamvention Inside Exhibits:
https://swling.com/blog/2019/05/2019-hamvention-photos-inside-exhibits/
ICQPodcast - The Big Three Announcements from Hamvention
2019
In this special edition of the ICQ Amateur / Ham
Radio Podcast, we interview the breaking hardware
announcements from Dayton Hamvention, Yaesu’s FT-3DR Handheld,
FlexRadio Multiplex Software and Elecraft K4.
ICQ AMATEUR/HAM RADIO PODCAST DONORS
We would like to thank our monthly and annual subscription
donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please
visit -
http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate
The ICQ Podcast can be downloaded from
http://www.icqpodcast.com
50 MHz activity needed - 13 June 2019
This year the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference
(WRC-19) starts on 28 October and will last four weeks.
An important agenda item for the amateur service is for the WRC
to consider the consolidation and extension of 50 MHz in Region 1
(Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asiatic Russia).
One of the national telecoms administrations, which are actively
supporting the proposal, is the Czech Republic; unfortunately some
other administrations are actively opposed.
To gather solid evidence of the high level of amateur activity on
the band, and at the same time to demonstrate that amateurs can
co-exist with other band users including the military, IARU is
supporting a monitoring trial in the middle of June.
The event is being run by the Czech national radio society, in
conjunction with their regulator. It is part activity period and
part contest.
Government and professional users will be monitoring (and some
will be transmitting as well) so it is important that we make a good
showing. Remember, by the way, that if you do hear any non-amateur
stations you must make sure you do NOT cause them any interference.
Full details can be found on the
iaru-r1.org
website.
Date and times are Thursday 13 June 2019 07:30 - 09:00 UTC and
11:00 - 12:30 UTC
There needs to be as much activity as possible on the band during
these two periods, preferably sticking to the Czech power limit of
25 W ERP.
It doesn't matter whether the band is open or not, just get on the
air using SSB, CW, Digital, or all three.
It is not essential that you should submit an entry for the contest
although that would be appreciated, but IARU would definitely like
as many logs as possible (contest or non-contest) to be sent in by
15 June, to provide solid evidence that can be used in pre-WRC
planning.
CQ Announces 2019 Hall of Fame Inductees
CQ Magazine over the weekend announced the 2019
inductees to its Amateur Radio, DX, and Contest halls of fame.
CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame
The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame added 5 new members
for 2019, making a total of 326 inductees since its
establishment in 2001. The CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame
honors radio amateurs who have made significant contributions
“to Amateur Radio, to their professional careers or to some
other aspect of life on our planet.” The 2019 inductees are:
- John Attaway, Sr., K4IIF (SK) — Served for more
than 20 years as CQ’s DX Editor, proposing the
establishment of the CQ DX Hall of Fame in 1967.
Professionally, he was a chemist who spent 26 years as
Director of Scientific Research for the Florida Department
of Citrus. He served on several industry committees and was
named to the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in 2001.
- Dave Bernstein, AA6YQ — Authored the DXLab
software suite, which he has placed in the public domain,
and provided behind-the-scenes help in integrating ARRL’s
Logbook of the World (LoTW) software with outside programs
- Doreen Bogdan-Martin, KD2JTX — Director of the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Telecommunication Development Bureau and the first woman
ever to hold a senior elected position in the ITU.
- Predescu Florin Cristian, YO0CNU — Founder of
Europe’s Youngsters On The Air (YOTA) program to encourage
young people to become hams and be active on the air.
- Ellen White, W1YL — First licensed in 1946, White
served for more than 25 years (1952 – 1978) on the ARRL
Headquarters staff, at one point heading up ARRL contesting
activities. She retired as Deputy Communications Manager and
became QST “How’s DX?” editor. On her own time, she
recorded QST on tape for the vision impaired through
the US Library of Congress talking book program. She
recently was named as a recipient of the E.T. Krenkel Medal
for outstanding global contributions to Amateur Radio.
CQ DX Hall of Fame
CQ has announced the induction of two new members to
its CQ DX Hall of Fame, which honors those DXers who not
only excel in personal performance, but also give back to the
hobby in outstanding ways. CQ DX Editor Bob Schenck,
N2OO, presented Hall of Fame plaques at an induction ceremony
held at the annual Dayton DX dinner on May 17.
The 2019 inductees to the CQ DX Hall of Fame are:
- Joe Taylor, K1JT — Nobel Prize-winning
astrophysicist who has revolutionized the face of DXing with
his WSJT-X suite of weak-signal digital modes,
including FT8, which is capable of decoding signals well
below the noise level. Other WSJT-X modes have
revolutionized VHF/UHF DXing, including via moonbounce and
meteor scatter. Taylor shared the 1993 Nobel Prize in
physics for the discovery of binary pulsars.
- Silvano Borsa, I2YSB, and the Italian DXpedition
Team — The Italian DXpedition Team has made more than 20
major DXpeditions in the past 20 years, mostly to Africa,
where its members have activated more than a dozen rare
countries, making nearly 1.4 million contacts along the way.
The team has arranged for the donation and delivery of two
ambulances from Italy to Somalia, one of the many countries
it has activated. Other Italian DXpedition Team members
include: Alfeo Caputo, I1HJT; Vincio Ravizza, IK2CIO; Angelo
Selva, IK2CKR; Marcello Cassinelli, IK2DIA; Stefano Casari,
IK2HKT; Angelo Gino Zambaiti, IK2RZP, and Mac Shimamoto,
JA3USA.
The CQ DX Hall of Fame was established in 1967 to
recognize those amateurs who have made major contributions to
DXing and DXpeditioning. This weekend marked the 54thannual
induction.
CQ Contest Hall of Fame
CQ magazine inducted two new members into the CQ
Contest Hall of Fame, which honors contesters who stand out in
their own contesting performance while also contributing greatly
to the avocation as a whole. CQ Contesting Editor David
Siddall, K3ZJ, presented Hall of Fame plaques at an induction
ceremony held at the annual Dayton Contest Dinner on May 18.
The 2019 inductees to the CQ Contest Hall of Fame are:
- Bruce Horn, WA7BNM — He provides a great service
to the contesting community via web-based resources for many
popular contests. He maintains the most comprehensive
contest calendar on the web, and he developed the popular
3830Scores.com website, where contesters post raw scores
after an event, to compare notes and search past contest
logs. He is also manager of the North American QSO Party and
developed the current National Contest Journal (NCJ)
website.
- Dean Straw, N6BV — An outstanding contester, a
talented writer, editor, presenter, and educator, Straw has
advanced the state of the art in antennas, computer
modeling, propagation, and contest planning and preparation.
As an ARRL staff member for 15 years, he edited multiple
editions of The ARRL Antenna Book and several other
publications. He also developed the High Frequency
Terrain Analysis (HFTA) software, which
revolutionized antenna system planning by linking antenna
design, installation height, tower location, surrounding
terrain, and the expected angles of propagation to target
regions. His work with the propagation prediction program
VOACAP revolutionized contest planning, allowing
specific band opening predictions dependent on solar
conditions to indicate optimal times for band changes and
operations.
- Kresimir “Chris” Kovarik, 9A5K (SK) — He
developed the DXLog and KLog programs,
competed in the World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC),
and served the broader Amateur Radio community in Europe as
past president of the Croatian Amateur Radio Association and
as vice-chairman of the IARU Region 1 HF Committee. Kovarik
died earlier this year.
The CQ Contest Hall of Fame was established in 1986 to
recognize those amateurs who have made major contributions to
the art of radio contesting. This year’s inductions bring the
total number of members of the CQ Contest Hall of Fame to 74.
MONDAY EDITION: I had to change web servers at GoDaddy.com
and we may experience a few glitches in the next few days, bear with
me...Dayton sounded like a great time. Interesting that TenTec and
Alpha shared a booth after a few years of total inactivity at ham
fairs and QST advertising. They had an Alpha Amplifier key down at
1500 watts into a dummy load thrut the event. Alpha tough, don't try
that with any Ameritron product! The $500 dollar Yaesu FT3DR was a
hit despite the $500 dollar price tag. Expert Engineering from
Russia had a SDR radio that seems to be better than the Elecraft SDR
in that it has a Windows 10 computer built in and you can run
multiple monitors and use the radio for web browsing, word
processing, etc....very cool indeed and price around $5000 but
service will be a problem....Attendance seemed to be up probably due
to the nice weather..Band conditions on 75 meters at night have been
absolutely horrible lately. Time to dust off the amplifier for the
summer....
Yasme Foundation Designates Supporting Grant, Excellence Award
Recipients
The Board of Directors of
The Yasme Foundation has awarded $5,000
each to the Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR) and ARRL
scholarship programs for 2019, and $5,000 in general support to
World Radiosport Team Championship 2022 (WRTC 2022) in Italy and
a second grant to sponsor the so-called “Widow’s Ball” during
WRTC 2022.
The Yasme Foundation Board also announced Yasme Excellence
Award winners. They are:
- Angel Vazquez, WP3R, for his work in disaster
relief, and as an outstanding ambassador for Amateur Radio.
- Nikola Percin, 9A5W, for his outstanding work in
advancing Amateur Radio in Croatia and the surrounding
region. He is a cofounder of 9A1A. Percin initiated efforts
to recruit young amateurs and established youth programs in
coordination with local universities.
The Yasme Excellence Award recognizes individuals and groups
who, through their own service, creativity, effort, and
dedication, have made significant contributions to Amateur
Radio. These may be in recognition of technical, operating, or
organizational achievement, as all three are necessary for the
growth of Amateur Radio. The Yasme Excellence Award is in the
form of a cash grant and an individually engraved crystal globe.
The Yasme Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation
organized to support scientific and educational projects related
to Amateur Radio, including DXing and the introduction and
promotion of Amateur Radio in developing countries.
New Russian SDR transceiver with a Windows 10 computer built in...
Hamvention 2019 - Sunday Roundup
Although the last and shortest day of Dayton Hamvention is
usually the least crowded, the ARRL Expo had early visitors
making their rounds, particularly for books. In the morning,
Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, presented a forum on ARRL’s new
Volunteer Monitor Program. A well-known former FCC employee,
Hollingsworth explained how the program came to be at request
from the FCC and stressed the importance of keeping high
standards on the air. As the program was organized, he described
how he polled FCC directors to see which areas needed more
coverage from the ARRL, and received detailed responses the very
next day — a sign of the FCC’s faith in the program’s
effectiveness.
The sun continued shining and lines for ice cream vendors
grew in the afternoon. Most popular this year were food stands
serving cheesesteak and corndog options, which consistently drew
long lines. Only at the end of convention did the wind pick up
significantly, and crowds began dispersing in preparation for an
approaching storm that just missed Hamvention weekend.
This Sunday was the first time Hamvention offered free
admission for Sunday in hopes of drawing those from the area who
may not be dedicated hams, but have some interest in what goes
on at the annual convention. By all accounts, this year had
brisk attendance — some of the highest since the convention’s
relocation to the Greene County Fairgrounds in Xenia, Ohio.
ARRL
Photos of the new Elecraft K4
We’ve posted a number of photos of two engineering prototypes
of the new Elecraft K4 direct-sampling SDR on
the SWLing Post.
Elecraft kindly allowed us to take these photos prior to the
opening of the 2019 Hamvention. K4 pricing starts around $4,000
US and Elecraft is already taking pre-orders.
Elecraft expects to start shipping the K4 by the end of the
year.
Click here to view photos:
https://swling.com/blog/2019/05/first-look-elecraft-k4-photos-and-preliminary-information/
CQ Contest Hall of Fame
CQ magazine has just announced the induction of
three new members to the CQ Contest Hall of Fame, which honors those
contesters who not only excel in personal performance but who also
'give back' to the hobby in outstanding ways.
CQ Contesting Editor David Siddall, K3ZJ,
presented Hall of Fame plaques at an induction ceremony held at the
annual Dayton contest dinner on May 18th.
The 2019 inductees to the CQ Contest Hall of Fame are:
* Bruce Horn, WA7BNM, provides a great service
to the contesting com-
munity via web-based resources for many popular contests. He
maintains
the most comprehensive contest calendar on the web, and he developed
the popular <3830Scores.com> website where contesters go to post raw
scores after an event ends, to compare notes and search past contest
logs. He is also manager of the North American QSO Party and
developed
the current National Contest Journal website.
* Dean Straw, N6BV, is an outstanding contester,
a talented writer,
editor, presenter and educator, and has advanced the state of the
art in antennas, computer modeling, propagation and contest planning
and preparation. As an ARRL staff member for 15 years, he edited
multiple editions of The ARRL Antenna Book and several other public-
ations. He also developed the High Frequency Terrain Analysis (HFTA)
software ,which revolutionized antenna system planning by linking
antenna design, installation height, tower location, surrounding
terrain, and the expected angles of propagation to target regions.
His work with the propagation prediction program VOACAP revolution-
ized the way we plan for contests, allowing specific band opening
predictions dependent on solar conditions to indicate when band
changes
and operations should be planned.
* Kresimir "Chris" Kovarik, 9A5K (SK), developed
the DXLog and KLog
programs, competed in the World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC)
and served the broader amateur radio community in Europe as past
president of the Croatian Amateur Radio Association and as vice-
chairman of the IARU Region 1 HF Committee. He became a Silent Key
earlier this year.
The CQ Contest Hall of Fame was established in 1986 to recognize
those amateurs who have made major contributions to the art of radio
contesting. This is the 36th annual induction.
QSO Today - Bill Brown - WB8ELK
Exploration of the edge of space, first by astronaut Jordan
Kittinger in Project Highman, began Bill Brown’s, WB8ELK’s,
fascination with, adaptation of amateur radio to high altitude
weather balloons and later to smaller pico balloons that Bill tracks
around the world using amateur radio beacons that he fabricates for
his balloon launches.
With over 600 launches to his credit, it easy to say that WB8ELK
is an expert in high altitude ballooning and amateur radio
Listen to the podcast
WEEKEND EDITION: Beautiful day, 70 degrees and sun
Saturday morning. Weather was ok out at the big Ohio ham fest from
my inside sources, more info and photos shortly. Notable NO-SHOW at
the hamfest was Blow Hard Bobby, self proclaimed leader of the
fastest growing group in ham radio, the FriendlyBunch! You think a
man of his stature and fame would have a welcoming booth and a Kool
Aid recruiting stand in the center of the festivities selling hats
and jackets....On a brighter note, now about the 70 year old Air
Force vet who started walking from MA on his way to California to
shed light on shitty vet health care, homelessness, etc....the man
has balls. He expects to make the 3000 mile hike by Halloween...Bernie
Sanders walks into a bar andYells… “Free drinks for everyone!”Looks
around and says “Who’s buying?”....whoa, HRO is
selling the Icom 7300 for $899.95 and Yaesu FT-991a for $1099 after
rebates and more Yaesu FT 70 2/440 Fusion hand held for $135....
NEW RF-KIT Powers Amplifiers
RF2K-S "Silent Series" Solid State 1,500 watt Linear
Amplifiers are a DX Engineering North America exclusive!
Estimated arrival is Fall 2019 – the RF2K-S kit version,
which YOU can build, may be backordered immediately with
no charges until it is ready to ship. The fully
assembled version will be available for order only after
FCC certification has been completed.
Both kit and assembled versions offer exactly the same
ground-breaking features that is pushing the envelope of
present-day linear amplifier designs. Full legal limit
capabilities across all bands, 160 through 6 meters, and
updated speed controlled low noise fans and pin diode
T/R switching for extra quiet operation, the RF2K-S is
certain to be an absolute operating pleasure for hams
around the world. The on-board whisper quiet switching
power supply supports operation on mains from 90 to 290
Vac. With a nominal RF input of 55 watts, this amplifier
achieves 800 watts output running on 110 – 120 Vac and
1,500 watts out running on 230 – 240 Vac.
RF-KIT RF2K-S Amplifier Specifications and Features:
- Frequency Range: 1.8-30 MHz and 50-54 MHz
- RF Power Output: 1,500 Watts CW/SSB
- RF Input Drive Level: 55 Watt all bands (US
Version)
- Dual LDMOS devices rated at 3400 watts
- Efficiency: Up to 70% varies by band
- Very silent operation with speed controlled low
noise fans and pin diode TX/RX switching
- Transmit-Receive transfer time: < 5mS
- Internal Automatic Antenna Tuner with unlimited
memories
- 7-inch Color Touch Screen
- Multiple user selectable displays
- Excellent signal quality
- Predistortion output -55 dB for equipped
transceivers
- Auto RF Sense Band Selection
- YAESU® Band Data Interfaces
- YAESU BCD Band data output for external devices
- CAT Connectivity through USB
- CAT data through IP (UDP)
- LAN Connectivity
- Wi-Fi Connectivity (host and client mode)
- Quiet Internal Power Supply, Input Range 90-290
Vac
- Full power 1,500W on 230 Vac; 800W output at 110
Vac
- Power Meter Range: 1 W through 3 KW
- Software Update via Internet
- Remote Internet operation via PC, Tablet, or
cell phone; supports Windows Android, Linux, Apple
IOS, others
- Remote Power On with +12 Vdc
- RF Connectors: 1 x SO-239 Transceiver, 4 x
SO-239 Antennas 1-4
- Dimensions WHD: 12.205 x 7.480 16.732 in. (310
x 190 x 425 mm)
- Weight: 35.2 lbs. (16kg)
Dual LDMOS devices, rated for 3,400 Watts total power,
are handled cleanly by super-fast pin diode RF
switching, supporting flawless QSK CW. Enjoy hands-free
RF-sense automatic band changing and the internal
automatic antenna tuner with unlimited memories. You
really don't need to touch the RF-KIT RF2K-S because it
is fully remote controllable via PC USB, LAN Ethernet
and even by Wi-Fi. It supports control by programs of
virtually any platform or operating system. But, you
will be compelled to use the gorgeous 7 in. color touch
screen of this amplifier, with multiple user selectable
displays. Or, simply view the identical real-time
status, power, SWR and temperature information on your
PC, laptop or mobile device screen. One RF input and
four antenna outputs on the rear panel are selectable
remotely or by touch screen.
Enhanced with a pre-distortion output for equipped
transceivers, excellent signal quality and presence is
the hallmark of RF-KIT Power Amplifiers. Equipped for
very "silent" operation in the shack, the RF2K-S ushers
in a new era of linear amplifier excellence.
Join the drive to modern, quiet, tubeless legal limit RF
with an RF2K-S RF-KIT Power Amplifier available
exclusively in North America from DX Engineering.
Amateur Radio Newsline
WIA PRESENTERS TO FOCUS ON MICROWAVES, RF MANAGEMENT
JIM/ANCHOR: We begin this week with a reminder that just as the
excitement over Dayton Hamvention starts to become a memory, hams
will be heading to Sydney Australia for their own excitement. Graham
Kemp VK4BB has some of that agenda.
GRAHAM: Attendees at the Wireless Institute of Australia's
conference who are gathering May 24th to 26th in Sydney, will have
an opportunity to learn in greater depth about operating on the
microwave bands. David Minchin VK5KK, who has been active in the
millimeter part of the spectrum since 1979, will be presenting a
look at microwave operation around Australia. If you don't catch up
with him at the AGM, you can otherwise find him calling QR Zed
between 1.296 MHz and 122 GHz and also on 10 GHz EME. Another
presenter on the agenda is John Buckley VK2LWB, who will share the
podium with Peter Twartz, principle of a company specialising in RF
management at large-scale events. The two will discuss spectrum
management and the challenges of managing RF in areas that the ACMA
already has declared as "high density."
For Amateur Radio Newsline I'm Graham Kemp VK4BB.
JIM/ANCHOR: Meanwhile as Newsline went to production, Hamvention
plans included an appearance by John Amodeo AA6JAX producer of TV's
"Last Man Standing" on Friday at the D-STAR gathering at 6:30 p.m.
at the Drury Inn and Suites Dayton North -- and on Sunday free
admission to the Greene County fairgrounds for the public.
**
RAIN REPORT NOW ARCHIVES ONLY
JIM/ANCHOR: If the Radio Amateur Information Network report - or
RAIN report - has been a big part of your ham radio life, you have
one man to thank for all those good years. Don Wilbanks AE5DW speaks
for all of us as he presents this tribute to the podcast's creator,
who is retiring from the production studio.
DON: Since the mid 1980s Hap Holly, KC9RP has been producing weekly
news bulletins. The RAIN Report, for Radio Amateur Information
Network, began as part of The BEAR Information Service, a Chicago
based ham radio program on the Broadcast Employees Amateur Repeater.
His weekly 10 to 15 minute magazine-style reports have been a staple
of ham radio news reporting for decades. Now, as time marches on,
Hap has decided to hang up the headphones and turn off the mic. If
you don't know about Hap Holly, his story is worthy of some
research. Born to blind parents, Hap is also blind. One morning at
age 7, Hap Holly woke up totally sightless. His family story was the
subject of a 420-page book "What Love Sees." That book became a
made-for-tv movie airing on CBS in 1996. He got his ham ticket in
1965 and a year later served as a phone patch and net control for
the Westcars traffic net. Hap credits Amateur Radio Newsline founder
Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF as inspiration for the RAIN Report. That
friendship continued until Bill's passing in 2015. Over the decades
Hap shared his Hamvention booth space with Newsline and we shared
stories and audio between the two reports. Although Hap is no longer
recording new RAIN Reports, the archives will remain online. There
is so much more to Hap's inspiring story whan we have time for here,
so I encourage you to visit the website, therainreport.com to learn
more about this amazing gentleman and listen to the archived Rain
Reports. It will be time well spent. All of us at Amateur Radio
Newsline wish you well in your retirement, Hap. Thank you for the
decades of friendship! For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Don Wilbanks,
AE5DW.
**
ANOTHER LEAP OF FAITH BY PARACHUTE MOBILE
JIM/ANCHOR: Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane - wait,
it's a ham radio operator! Andy Morrison tells us about some
high-flying hams beneath those parachutes.
ANDY: We all know there are stars in the sky - but what about
AllStar in the sky? The radio link network is expected to add a
whole new dimension to Mission 35 of the Parachute Mobile hams at
their next skydiving-with-a-radio adventure in California. The hams
are jumping off into the high altitudes above earth on Saturday May
25th, parachutes and radios at the ready. According to Rob KC6TYD,
the team's AllStar node, built by Fred W6BSD, will be making its
debut as another means of making contact. It will be available as
will EchoLink. The hams taking that leap of faith out of the
airplane are also looking to make 2 meter QSOs on 146.430 simplex
and 20 meter QSOs on 14.250 MHz, all beneath the canopy of their
parachutes - and of course, the sky.
**
W9IMS SET FOR 500-MILE RACE
JIM/ANCHOR: Members of the W9IMS Amateur Radio Club are revved up
for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. For the
past 16 years this official Amateur Radio Club of the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway has made contacts globally during the time leading up
to each race. The special event station goes on the air May 20th and
will take check-ins until after the race on May 28th. The operators
can be worked on 20 and 40 meters SSB and on FT8. This is the second
special event station this year for W9IMS. They were most recently
on the air during the Indy Grand Prix, which was held May 11.
QSL information is available at QRZ.com.
**
TUNE UP YOUR ANTENNA WITH 100 WATTS AND A WIRE
JIM/ANCHOR: Whether you're a ragchewer or a contester, you'll want
to try this noncompetitive way of testing your antenna's
performance. Heather Embee KB-3-T-ZED-D has more details.
HEATHER: Wherever your antenna happens to be pointed, you can be
sure of one thing: It's going to be pointed in the direction of
fellowship and fun on the weekend of June 7th through 9th. The ‘100
Watts and a Wire’ online community is hosting its first Antenna
Tune-Up Event. A way to welcome spring, celebrate antennas in all
their variety and glory, and provide an opportunity to give true
signal reports. A way to enjoy a non-competitive activity and
explore what the antenna at your home QTH, or even at a portable
location can do - on any band and any mode, at any time between
00:00 UTC (zero-hundred UTC) on Friday, June 7th through 23:59 UTC
on Sunday, June 9th. Details are posted at 100wattsandawire-dot-com.
**
WW2 NAVAJO CODE TALKER DIES IN ARIZONA
JIM/ANCHOR: Another member of the Native American Navajo tribe who
served in a special mission during the Second World War has died.
Jack Parker W8ISH tells us about him.
JACK: Fleming Begaye (BUH-GAY) Sr., who was among three Navajo Code
Talkers honored at the White House in November of 2017, has died. He
had been one of hundreds of members of the Navajo tribe who assisted
the U.S. military during World War II confusing the Japanese by
using a code based on the Navajo language. The Navajo Nation said
that Fleming Begaye (BUH-GAY) fought in the Battle of Tarawa and the
Battle of Tinian and was wounded during his service. His service as
a Code Talker in the U.S. Marine Corps lasted from 1943 to 1945.
He died on Friday May 10th in Arizona at the age of 97.
**
SILENT KEY: SCHOOL CLUB ROUNDUP'S DAVID PAUL VONDIELINGEN AD8B
JIM/ANCHOR: Hams involved in the ARRL's School Club Roundup have
been shaken by the loss of a devoted and beloved supporter. Neil
Rapp WB9VPG has that story.
NEIL: An amateur radio operator who combined his commitment to
teaching with his love of being a ham has become a Silent Key. David
Paul Von Dielingen AD8B is perhaps best remembered not just as a
booster of School Club Roundup, but a ham who used his talents to
make this activity for school radio clubs even better. The retired
teacher had been the author of a logging program dedicated
specifically for the roundup - his earliest versions were for
Microsoft DOS and Apple formats and later versions were written for
Windows and Mac. He notes on his profile page on QRZ.com [quote]:
"School Club Roundup became my favorite venue for putting students
on the air as third-party operators." [endquote] Indeed, the back of
his classroom was outfitted for a time with his personal rig, an
IC-735. During his retirement, he always took the two weeks of
School Club Roundup each year to contact as many schools as
possible, spot them, and list them in a chat box he also created for
the event so that schools could more easily find each other on the
air.
The Missouri native died on Tuesday, May 7th at his home in Garber,
Oklahoma. Dave VonDielingen was 71.
**
SOTA ACTIVATION BY TRIO ON MOUNT ETNA
JIM/ANCHOR: It seems that Mount Etna was particularly active
recently - but no worries, there was no lava involved at this
volcanic site. Ed Durrant DD5LP explains.
ED: This trio of hams only had a short time on the summit -- but
this summit happened to be Mount Etna, site of an active volcano on
the east coast of Sicily, so they made the most of their time. Beppe
EYE-ONE-W-K-N (I1WKN) and his friends Riccardo EYE-ZED-ONE-G-D-B
(IZ1GDB) and Fabrizio EYE-ZED-ONE-D-N-Q (IZ1DNQ) hiked up with all
their gear on the 12th of May but did not go to the very top. Beppe
told Newsline that inclement weather and the park rules at this
UNESCO World Heritage site only permitted them a short time for
their activation. They set up a distance of 20 meters below the top,
on the south west border of the crater and operated between the
rocks for protection against the winds.
According to Riccardo, wind speeds reached as much as 80 or 90
kilometres per hour - or more than 50 miles per hour. The team
managed to have a few QSOs on 40 metres and 20 metres - contacting
Italian operators and hams elsewhere in Europe, including Spain and
the Czech Republic. Beppe told Newsline he hoped to return to Etna
but he plans to wait for better weather and warmer temperatures
**
SOUTH AFRICAN AMATEURS PREPARE FOR NEW BEACONS
JIM D/ANCHOR: Members of the South African Radio League are prepping
for a workshop that will help shape the future of beacons they have
planned. For those details we turn to Jim Meachen ZL2BHF.
JIM M: The South African Radio League is putting up two new 2-metre
beacons and the project's final shape will be discussed on Saturday
the 25th of May when SARL and AMSAT SA hold a joint VHF workshop.
Issues on the agenda include the debate over whether horizontal or
vertical polarisation would be better utilised for long distances on
VHF. The project is considering whether an assortment of Yagi
antennas would be the best choice to get the widest coverage
possible.
One beacon will cover Karoo and the other will serve the Bethlehem
area. The workshop at the SARL National Amateur Radio Centre is
expected to last about five hours and will conclude with a
presentation by SARL President Nico van Rensburg ZS6QLX on the
future of VHF and UHF in amateur radio.
**
HONORS FOR THOSE WHO PUT OSCAR 100 IN SPOTLIGHT
JIM D/ANCHOR: The Radio Society of Great Britain has conferred
honors on some of the hams who played major roles in the Oscar 100
satellite mission.
JEREMY: The Qatar (KAT-R) Oscar 100 mission already made big news
last year when it was launched as the first geostationary satellite
with amateur radio transponders on board. Now some of the hams
behind the project have landed in the spotlight by being honoured at
the annual general meeting of the Radio Society of Great Britain for
their work on the mission.
They include satellite expert Peter Gülzow, DB2OS, who received the
Louis Varney Cup for Advances in Space Communication. He was
recognized as a team leader on the project. Another award - the
Fraser Shepherd Award for Research into Microwave Applications for
Radio Communication - went to four British hams. They are: Dave
Crump, G8GKQ; Phil Crump, M0DNY; Noel Matthews, G8GTZ, and Graham
Shirville, G3VZV. The quartet was recognised for its development and
installation of a WebSDR to receive the narrow band transponder
WebSDR and wide-band transponder spectrum monitor. Both allow
listeners to use a standard web browser to receive communications on
QO-100.
The satellite, a joint project between the Qatar (KAT-R) Satellite
Company, the Qatar (KAT-R) Amateur Radio Society and AMSAT
Deutschland was launched last November from the Kennedy Space Centre
in the United States.
**
WORLD OF DX
In the World of DX,
Members of the Slovak Amateur Radio Association are operating
special event stations OM83IHWC and OM2019IIHF during the 83rd Ice
Hockey World Championship. The games began May 10th and continue
through to May 26th. The stations have been on the air since the
start of May and will operate until the 31st. Be listening on
various HF and VHF bands. A special award is available. QSL Manager
for OM2019IIHF and OM83IHWC is OM2FY. All logs will be uploaded to
ClubLog. You can request a QSL card via OQRS or by the Bureau.
Members of the Old House Radio Club, including Toni OH5CY, Niko
OH5CZ and Juha OH5CW, will be active as OG0C from Åland Islands
between May 22 and May 28th. Be listening on 160 through 2 metres
where they will be using CW, SSB, FT4, FT8 and MSK144. The group
will be active during the CQWW WPX CW Contest taking place May 25th
and 26th.
ASL via OH5C, by the Bureau, direct or LoTW.
KICKER: COLORADO SCHOOL LEARNS REALITY OF RADIO RESCUE
JIM D/ANCHOR: Our final story reminds us that school shootings have,
sadly, become a common reality -- but so too has the fact that radio
can make a difference even in the face of such horror. Here's Mike
Askins KE5CXP.
MIKE: Administrators at one high school outside Denver, Colorado,
are true believers in what amateur radio operators have known for
years: radio helps save lives. The school is the STEM School
Highlands Ranch where on Tuesday May 7th, two students with guns
killed one teenager and injured eight other people. It was radio,
however, that was credited with getting quick police response.
Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said in a recent NBC News
report that the school's use of their on-premises police radio got
word out about the active shooter situation immediately. That
frantic message was, in effect, a broadcast to local law
enforcement.
The fact that one of the suspects was in custody within minutes was
attributed by experts to a healthy two-way radio link from the
campus to the cops. Curtis Lavarello of the School Safety Advocacy
Council told NBC that fewer than 10 percent of school agencies have
such radio links. He said providing them is as easy as adding police
channels to existing radios a school may have or giving the schools
unused police radios.
Whether it's cyclones ravishing Asia or hurricanes trouncing the
U.S. Atlantic Coast or nightmare situations in schools, radio
remains the wireless lifeline for us all. Ask any ham.
FRIDAY EDITION: That new Yaesu FT3DR looks sweet....Our local
club provides communications for road races, about a dozen 5k and
1/2 marathon jogs, and the running routes are always along the coast
line. ....
Selected Sessions of the 2019 Contest University (CTU) will be
Livestreamed
Compliments of Icom America, some sessions of the 2019 Contest
University in Dayton (CTU) will
be livestreamed via the CTU website. Streaming will begin on May
16 at 1200 UTC. Topics include Radiosport Contesting with
Integrity; 2BSIQ & SO3R: Riding the Edge of Human Capabilities,
and No-Compromise Remote Contesting. EMAIL RE: FRIENDLY FOOLS ON 3919
He (Bobby #1) doesn't know the difference between a Dryline and
an outflow boundary. Plus one of his controllers waited till the
lightning was only 2 miles away before he shut down last night .
I wonder who will be responsible if someone gets hurt over this
rampant ignorance. You could tell his controller waited till the
bitter end for the team. But for what end? Why isn't he at the
Hamvention to be with his minions instead of going on a fishing
trip this weekend ? Must be a reason... Must be tough being the
man behind the curtain...K3XXX
Vintage NFD video released
The RSGB have released archive footage
of the National Field Day held June 7-8, 1947, (mostly
around SE England)
NB. There is no sound with this video
Watch RSGB Archive film - NFD 1947
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeLeecrhytw
The FCC is Not Reinstating a Vanity Call Sign Fee
An erroneous report this week suggested that the FCC planned to
again impose an Amateur Radio vanity call sign application
(regulatory) fee of $70 for the 10-year term. This incorrect
conclusion resulted from an incomplete reading of the May 7 FCC
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ( NPRM) in the matter
of the assessment and collection of regulatory fees for fiscal
year 2019. Although the Schedule of Regulatory Fees does show
a $7 annual fee for Amateur Radio vanity call signs, a boldface
heading in that section of the NPRM states, “REGULATORY
FEES. This section is no longer in effect as it has been amended
by RAY BAUM’S Act of 2018...” Section 9(e)(2) of RAY BAUM’S
Act gives the Commission discretion to exempt a party from
paying regulatory fees when the FCC determines that the cost of
collection exceeds the amount collected. A new section 9(e)(1)
incorporated the Amateur Radio vanity fee exemption from FCC
rules into the statute.
The NPRM makes clear in several other places that
regulatory fees no longer apply to Amateur Radio licenses. The
FCC eliminated the regulatory fee for Amateur Radio vanity call
signs in 2015. Foundations of Amateur Radio #206
SDR: How many colours inside a Software Defined
Radio?
If you were asked to make an image of the Sydney harbour bridge
and only use four dots, the viewer might struggle to determine what
was the bridge, the sky, the water and the Sydney Opera House.
Regardless of the number of colours available to you, the number of
dots would not be enough information for most people. You might have
a nice piece of art on your hands, but it might be ineligible for
the Archibald prize. Even if you were allowed many colours, and just
four dots, figuring out if the blue dot was water, sky, or the
background of the Australian flag on top of the bridge might be just
as complicated.
If you were asked to make the image with one hundred dots, and
only use black and white, from the perspective of the viewer you'd
have a result that was easier to understand. Use a thousand dots,
even easier, even if you only used black and white.
Now, if you were to use a hundred dots, with ten colours, your
image might be just as easy to understand as if it was a thousand
dots in black and white.
The point is, there are two things going on here. The number of
dots and the information contained in each dot.
More dots or more colours, or both, will help your image.
Similarly, in Software Defined Radio, more dots, that is, more
samples, will help and as I've previously mentioned, you need at
least twice the number of samples as the highest frequency that
you're measuring. But what of the colours in relation to an SDR?
Measuring voltage as a human with a piece of paper is pretty
straightforward. Provided you've got a Volt meter, a piece of paper
and a scribble stick, you're good to go. If you measure your voltage
as 1 Volt, you write 1, if it's -1 Volt, you write -1. Similarly, if
it's 100 Volts, you'd write 100, 13.8 Volts and you'd write 13.8.
We'll get back to colours in a moment.
Provided your paper is big enough, you can record as many values
as you need and as accurately as you desire. 13.8 or 13.8853, makes
no difference to a piece of paper.
Computers represent numbers internally using powers of two,
called bits. A single bit can represent two values, 0 and 1. Two
bits can represent four values, 8 bits represent 256 values and 16
bits represent 65536 different values.
The takeaway is that there are a specific number of values that
you can represent inside a computer, depending on how many bits you
use.
Consider the values I've mentioned, 1, -1, 100 and 13.8. That's
four different values. If it's not immediately obvious, what ever
solution you come up with, tracking positive and negative, tracking
small and large, whole and fractions should all be part of the mix.
In case you're wondering, we're essentially describing here how many
colours or values we are going to allow, or in terms of a computer,
how many bits.
Let's consider all the values you might measure and represent
inside a computer. How many different voltages do you want to be
able to record between 1 Volt and 100 Volt?
If you allow for ten values, you can record 10 Volt, 20 Volt and
so-on, but you can't record 15 Volt.
If you allow for a hundred values, you can record 1 Volt, 2 Volt
and up, but you won't be able to record 1.5 Volt.
If you account for a thousand values then you can record 1.1
Volt, 1.2 Volt and so-on, but you can't record -10 Volt.
Remember, our computer representation can only manage a specific
list of values and the size of the list is determined by the number
of bits you're using.
The rabbit hole goes even deeper.
Radio signals vary massively in their strength, which is why we
use a decibel scale to represent the signal strength, instead of
saying station A is a thousand times stronger than station B, we say
it has a signal level that's 30 dBm higher. That's comparing a 1
Watt station to a 1 kilowatt station, and in terms of voltage,
that's between 20 Volt and 632 Volt.
If you're designing a mechanism to store your measurements inside
a computer, you might decide to use dBm to record your measurement.
Let's say 30 values from 30 to 60 dBm. Sounds great, where do I sign
up?
Not so fast. What happens if our station is running less than 1
Watt, or if it's running 100 kilowatt, like when you happen to
receive a nearby FM broadcast station?
Not only do you need to contend with a whole range, called a
Dynamic Range of measurements, you also need to deal with what
happens to the overall picture.
Let me say that in another way.
Your voltage measurements at the base of your antenna are a
representation of the RF information that your antenna is receiving,
or transmitting for that matter. Representing that inside a computer
means that the values you're using, and how fast your gathering
them, determine how well the RF signal is represented.
One thing to note is that the largest values represented by what
ever you choose is only part of the problem.
A signal that is stronger than the largest value you can record
is not going to be recorded correctly. Similarly, a signal that is
so small that it doesn't register as a change, also has an incorrect
recording.
Picking the right combination of dots and colours, sample size
and bit-depth, doesn't end there, because there's even more to this,
but I'll leave that for next time.
To blow your mind, the Dynamic Range, bit-depth and sample size
I've talked about in relation to Software Defined Radio, also
applies to many other things, like taking a photo with your digital
camera, or sampling digital audio, so understanding this in one area
will likely help you in other places as well.
he final takeaway is that a computer records a range of values
that can represent a measurement in the real world. Picking the
correct range of values determines how well your computer represents
what your measuring
I'm Onno VK6FLAB
'Cincinnati Liars Lager' June 15 fundraiser will
benefit National VOA Museum of Broadcasting
West Chester Grainworks Brewery will create
beer, host event
Grainworks Brewing Company of West Chester will
help the National VOA Museum of Broadcasting have fun and raise
funds by tapping the first keg of its “Cincinnati Liars Lager” at a
June 15 fundraiser.
The event will be held at Grainworks, 7790 Service Center Dr. on
Saturday, June 15 from 2 to 10 p.m. Proceeds from beer sales and
“Cincinnati Liars” t-shirts featuring the beer label will benefit
the museum. Pints will cost $6; live music, board games and the keg
tapping are also planned.
Bottles of “Cincinnati Liars Lager” will be available for sale
later this summer at Grainworks. They will also be featured at the
museum’s “Celebration of 75 Years of VOA Bethany Station,” its major
fundraiser, on Saturday, Sept. 21.
“When the Voice of America at Bethany Station began transmitting
shortwave radio war news to the European theater and our Allied
troops in September of 1944, we didn’t know if anyone was
listening,” said Jack Dominic, VOA museum director. “It soon became
apparent that they were. Adolf Hitler, who ran an extensive
propaganda machine to control the German people, soon after called
the Bethany Station, ‘those Cincinnati liars.’
We’re proud to honor Bethany Station’s contribution to the VOA’s
mission of telling the truth in media in order to let people in
oppressed countries decide what form of government they want and
will support.
THURSDAY EDITION: A sunny start today, let's see how long the
sun hangs around..
Hmmmmmm....$500.00
ILLW reaches 200
The 200th registration for this year's International
Lighthouse Lightship Weekend has just been received and it
is from Latvia which is a rare country for the event and a new
lighthouse as well.
Užava Lighthouse (originally established in 1879) is located on
the Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea. The lighthouse stands in an
isolated location, on a 28 metre high sand dune, which is
permanently threatened by wave action from the Baltic Sea.
The original tower was heavily damaged by artillery shells during
World War I with only the octagonal base section remaining.
The present-day lighthouse tower is 19 metres in height, completed
in 1925. The inscription of the year 1924 on the nearby weather vane
on the light tower's dome roof marks the beginning of construction
works of the lighthouse.
This highly popular event, now in its 22nd year, takes place on
17th-18th August with over 500 entries expected. It is a fun weekend
with many entrants returning year after year with some taking part
every year since 1998. All the details and registration form are on
the ILLW web site
https://illw.net
Photo tour of the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station
I recently visited the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting station near
Greenville, NC and posted a photo tour on the SWLing Post.
The Murrow site--formerly known as "VOA Site B" is the last
active US government shortwave transmitting station in the United
States. It is a massive site--the main building sits in the middle
of a 2800 acre (1133 hectares) campus/antenna field.
The station is still on the air 24/7 and primarily broadcasts to
Cuba via the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.
Click on the link below to view the photo tour:
https://swling.com/blog/2019/05/photo-tour-the-edward-r-murrow-transmitting-station/
Amateur Radio Roundtable to Livestream 50 Hours of Dayton
Hamvention®
Amateur Radio
Roundtable and host Tom Medlin, W5KUB, will be back
at Dayton Hamvention to
livestream the activity and action before,
during, and after the May 17 – 19 event. Amateur Radio
Roundtable’s show coverage will go live on Thursday, May 16 and
continue through the weekend. “This is a big event and we have
viewers in about 150 countries,” Medlin said. “Astronaut Doug
Wheelock, KF5BOC, will join us again for the 7th year as cohost.
Join in the live chat room.
More
information is on the W5KUB Facebook group.
TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY EDITION: Oops, missed yesterdays edition due
to medical crisis in the family which was resolved in a favorable
way, so on to ham radio news.....If Mike- N1XW is still down in Key
West, they set a new heat record yesterday according to the
news....The bog news is the ARRL-FCC Volunteer Monitor program is
looking for applicants to replace the old VE program. They are
hoping to cut back on the poor operating practice of some on the
bands as well as to complement those who operate in an exemplary
manner. I hope it works out.
Arizona Homeowners Association - Outdoor Antenna Guidelines
ARRL reports the Board of Directors of a self-contained
residential community for older adults has voted to allow limited
amateur radio antennas
The Board of Directors of an antenna-restricted community in Arizona
voted overwhelmingly in April to allow radio amateurs to erect
certain outdoor antennas on their properties. Some 75 hams live in
the 10,000-home Sun City Grand, a self-contained residential
community for older adults.
An article in the Grand Ham Newsletter by Gordon Bousman, NW7D,
called it “a big win” and said the Sun City Grand community
homeowners’ association (HOA) is believed to be the largest in the
US to permit Amateur Radio antennas. The HOA board includes one
radio amateur.
The new antenna guidelines went into effect on May 9.
“The road to success took nearly a year of meetings, negotiations,
and occasional setbacks driven by a team of dedicated amateurs who
were persistent in reaching our goals,” Bousman said in his article.
“While our initial discussion points focused on the possibility of
passage of the [Amateur Radio] Parity Act, we later shifted our
focus to the value that Amateur Radio operators can bring to the
community in the event of an emergency or crisis.”
Bousman told ARRL the group “somewhat” modeled its antenna proposal
after that of the Sun City Texas Ham Radio group in Georgetown,
Texas, which permitted several years ago. “In our research, we
learned that Sun City Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Sun City
Henderson, Nevada, also allow certain Amateur Radio antennas,” he
added. “There may be other communities with similar antenna
permissions, but we did not uncover any in our research.”
The types of antennas permitted are modest. The list includes
flagpole antennas that do not exceed 16 feet, verticals that do not
rise more than 5 feet above the peak of a home, and wire antennas no
higher than 5 feet above the roof peak. No traps in wire antennas
are allowed and towers of any type remain prohibited.
Read the full ARRL story at
http://www.arrl.org/news/arizona-homeowners-association-and-hams-agree-on-outdoor-antenna-guidelines
AmateurLogic 130: Echolink Pi is Back
George completes the 2019 Echolink Pi/SVXlink project. Tommy
discovers an interesting new online SDR. Mike, VE3MIC joins us with
a really cool BlueDV-AMBE server project. Plus another Foreign Food
taste test, courtesy of Kevin Mitchell, ZL1KFM.
VIDEO
ARRL Invites Applications for Volunteer Monitor
Positions
ARRL is now accepting
applications from individuals interested in
becoming part of the new
Volunteer Monitor program, a joint
undertaking of ARRL and the FCC. The program seeks volunteers
who — working under the direction of ARRL — will monitor and
survey the Amateur Radio bands both to detect improper activity
and to recognize exemplary on-the-air behavior. Prospective
Volunteer Monitors must be ARRL members. They will undergo a
training and certification program administered by ARRL, and
will be vetted by ARRL through at least one oral interview and a
preliminary evaluation by ARRL staff. Such requirements will
continue for Volunteer Monitors once they are selected.
Volunteer Monitors will serve 3-year terms at the pleasure of
ARRL, and ARRL will reserve the right to terminate the
participation of any Volunteer Monitor for any reason.
Volunteer Monitors must be able to utilize state-of-the-art
receiving equipment and to access no-cost remote receive sites,
if requested. Applicants must possess strong writing and
communication skills and an understanding of the importance of
thorough documentation. They must have basic word processing and
data entry skills and be able to send such information,
including recordings, to ARRL electronically.
Applicants must have no history of warning letters or other
enforcement-related action from the FCC, must hold a Technician
or higher license class, and must have been licensed for at
least 3 years.
Applicants should send applications to
volunteer-monitor@arrl.org for processing.
In February, Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, was named to oversee
the development and implementation phases of the Volunteer
Monitor program, which will replace the Official Observers (OO)
program.
New England Hams
you might run across 75
meters.........
K1TP-
Jon....Editor of As The World
Turns....
W1GEK-
Big Mike....Nearfest Cook, big
motor home, electronics software
engineer ...
AA1SB-
Neil...Living large traveling
the country with his
girlfriend...loves CW
N1YX-
Igor....peddles quality Russian
keys, software engineer
K1BGH...Art.....Restores
cars and radio gear, nice fella...
N1XW.....Mike-easy
going, Harley riding kind of
guy!
K1JEK-Joe...Easy going, can
be found at most ham flea market
...Cobra Antenna builder..
KA1GJU-
Kriss- Tower climbing pilot who
cooks on the side at
Hosstrader's...
W1GWU-Bob....one
of the Hosstrader's original
organizers, 75 meter regular,
Tech Wizard!!!
K1PV-
Roger....75 meter regular, easy
going guy...
W1XER...Scott....easy
going guy, loves to split
cordwood and hunt...
WS1D-
Warren- "Windy" - Bullnet
KB1VX-
Barry- the picture says it all,
he loves food!
KC1BBU-
Bob....the Mud Duck from the
Cape Cod Canal, making a lot of
noise.
W1STS- Scott...philosopher,
hat
connoisseur,
KB1JXU-
Matthew...75 meter regular...our
token liberal Democrat out of VT
KA1BXB-Don....75
meter Regular......residing on
the Cape of Cod, flying planes
and playing radio
KMIG-Rick....75
Meter Regular....teaches the
future of mankind, it's scary!
K1PEK-Steve..Founder
of Davis-RF....my best friend
from high school
K9AEN-John...Easy
going ham found at all the ham
fests
K1BXI- John.........Dr.
Linux....fine amateur radio op
....wealth of experience...
K1BQT.....Rick....very
talented ham, loves his
politics, has designed gear for
MFJ...
W1KQ- Jim- Retired
Air Force
Controller...told quite a few
pilots where to go!
N1OOL-Jeff-
The 3936 master plumber and
ragchewer...
K1BRS-Bruce-
Computer Tech of 3936...multi
talented kidney stone passing
ham...
K1BGH- Arthur, Cape Cod,
construction company/ice cream
shop, hard working man....
W1VAK-
Ed, Cape Cod, lots of experience
in all areas, once was a Jacques
Cousteus body guard....
KD1ZY-
Warren....3910 regular with
WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE
signal
N1YSU-
Bob, easy going, kind of
like Mr. Rogers until politics
are brought up then watch out...
K1BNH-
Bill- Used to work for a bottled
gas company-we think he has been
around nitrous oxide to long .
Silent KeyVA2GJB-
Graham...one of the good 14313
guys back in the day.
Silent Key
K1BHV-
David...PITA
Silent Key
W1JSH-
Mort...Air Force man
Silent Key
K1MAN--Glen....PITA
Silent KeyKB1CJG-"Cobby"-
Low key gent can be found on
many of the 75 meter
nets.........
Silent KeyWB1AAZ-
Mike, Antrim, NH, auto parts
truck driver-retired
Silent KeyWB1DVD-
Gil....Gilly..Gilmore.....easy
going, computer parts selling,
New England Ham..
Silent Key
W1OKQ-
Jack....3936 Wheeling and
Dealing......keeping the boys on
there toes....
Silent Key
W1TCS-
Terry....75 meter
regular, wealth of electronic
knowledge...
Silent Key
WIPNR-
Mack....DXCC Master, worked them
all!.. 3864 regular for many
years...
Silent Key
WILIM-
Hu....SK at 92... 3864
regular for many years...
Silent Key
N1SIE-
Dave....Loves to fly
Silent Key:N1WBD-
Big Bob- Tallest ham, at 6'10",
of the 3864 group
Silent Key:
W1FSK-Steve....Navy
Pilot, HRO Salesman, has owned
every radio ever built!
Silent Key:
W4NTI-Vietnam
Dan....far from easy going cw
and ssb op on 14275/313
Silent Key:K1FUB-Bill-
Loved ham radio.... |
